Fuse boxes for road vehicles

ABSTRACT

A fuse box comprises a synthetic resin body supporting fuse holders adapted to receive and make electrical connection to leads forming part of a cable harness, a groove being formed in the periphery of the body. The fuse box further includes a bridging member, co-operating latch means of the bridging member and the body adjacent said groove serving to releasably retain the bridging member on the body. The arrangement is such that in use the cable harness is accommodated in the groove and when engaged with the body the bridging member bridges the groove to provide a substantially circular aperture in the body. The harness passes through a grommet and the grommet engages in the aperture in the body to retain the harness in position relative to the body.

[4 1 May 23, 1972 [54] FUSE BOXES FOR ROAD VEHICLES [72] Inventor:Benjamin William Matthews, Small Heath,

England [73] Assignee: Joseph Lucas (Industries) Limited, Birmingham,England 22 Filed: Nov. 10, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 88,367

[58] Field ofSearch ..174/65, 65 G, 153 G; 337/186, 337/191, 192, 193,207, 208, 209; 248/56 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1949Salmons et al. ..337/207 X 1/1949 Young et al. ..248/56 7/1949Steinmayer ..337/ 191 X 2,659,765 1 1/1953 Dunn 174/65 FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLlCATlONS 621,632 12/1962 Belgium 174/153 G Primary Examinerbewisl-l. Myers Assistant Examiner-D. A. Tone Attorney-Holman & SternABSTRACT A fuse box comprises a synthetic resin body supporting fuseholders adapted to receive and make electrical connection to leadsforming part of a cable harness, a groove being formed in the peripheryof the body. The fuse box further includes a bridging member,co-operating latch means of the bridging member and the body adjacentsaid groove serving to releasably retain the bridging member on thebody. The arrangement is such that in use the cable harness isaccommodated in the groove and when engaged with the body the bridgingmember bridges the groove to provide a substantially circular aperturein the body. The harness passes through a grommet and the grommetengages in the aperture in the body to retain the harness in positionrelative to the body.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure Patented May 23, 1972 3,665,094

NVE OR ATTORNEYS FUSE BOXES FOR ROAD VEHICLES This invention relates tofuse boxes for road vehicles.

A fuse box, according to the invention, comprises a synthetic resin bodysupporting fuse holders adapted to receive and make electricalconnection to leads forming part of a cable harness, a groove in theperiphery of said body, a bridging member, co-operating latch means onsaid bridging member and said body adjacent said groove, said latchmeans releasably retaining said bridging member on said body, thearrangement being such that in-use said cable harness is accommodated insaid groove, and when engaged with the body the bridging member bridgessaid groove to provide a substantially circular aperture in said body,and a grommet through which the harness passes, the grommet engaging insaid aperture to retain said harness in position relative to said body.

The accompanying drawing is a perspective view of a fuse box, accordingto one example of the invention.

Referring to the drawing a fuse box comprises a moulded synthetic resinbody 11, having at one end thereof a plurality of fuse holder contacts(not shown) enclosed by a cover 12 engaged with the body 11. The body 11is further formed with a substantially U-shaped groove 13 extendinginwardly from the periphery thereof remote from the cover 12, the curvedportion of the groove 13 being substantially semi-circular. The body 11is also provided with a pair of slots 14 on opposite sides respectivelyof the groove 13 adjacent the periphery of the body 11.

A moulded synthetic resin bridging member 15 is adapted to engage in thegroove 13 in the body 11 adjacent the periphery of the body, thebridging member 15 being formed with a substantially semi-circular,peripheral groove 15a of radius equal to the radius of the circledefining the curved portion of the groove 13. A pair of flexible tabs 16project from each of a pair of opposite sides of the bridging member 15,each of the tabs being formed with an integral barbed portion 17. Thepairs of tabs 16 on the bridging member are pushed into the slots 14respectively to engage the bridging member 15 with the body 1 l, thebarbed portions 17 serving to prevent accidental removal of the bridgingmember. However, since the tabs 16 on the bridging member are flexible,the tabs and the slots 14 in the body 11 form co-operating latch meansto releasably retain the bridging member in engagement with the body.

To assemble the fuse box on the cable harness 18, the cable harness 18is positioned in the groove 13 in the body 11 of the fuse box and therequired electrical connections are made from the leads in the harness18 to the appropriate fuse holder contacts. The tabs 16 of the bridgingmember 15 are then positioned in their respective slots 14 in the body11 with the barbed portions 17 engaging with the under surface of thebody to prevent accidental removal of the bridging member from the body.The arrangement of the grooves 13,15a is such that when engaged with thebody 11 the bridging member 15 bridges the groove 13 to define asubstantially circular aperture in the assembled fuse box, the diameterof the aperture being such that a rubber grommet 19 carried by the cableharness 18 can be received and engaged in the aperture. The grommet 19serves to retain the cable harness 18 in position relative to the fusebox and so prevents breakage of any of the electrical connections to thefuse box.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fuse box comprising a synthetic resin body supporting fuse holdersadapted to receive and make electrical connection to leads forming partof a cable harness; a groove in the periphery of said body toaccommodate said cable harness; a bridging member and co-operating latchmeans on said bridging member and said body adjacent said groove; saidlatch means releasably retaining said bridging member in engagement withsaid body so that the bridging member bridges said groove to provide asubstantially circular aperture through said body and which aperture isadapted to receive a grommet through which the cable harness passes soas to retain said cable in position relative to said body.

. A fuse box as claimed in claim 1 wherein said co-operating latch meansincludes a pair of flexible tabs projecting from each of a pair ofopposite sides of the bridging member, said tabs being engaged in use inrespective slots in said body and each being formed with an integral,barbed portion to prevent accidental disengagement of the bridgingmember from said body in use.

3. A fuse box as claimed in claim 1 wherein said groove in said body isU-shaped, the curved portion of said U-shaped groove being substantiallysemi-circular, and wherein said bridging member defines a further,substantially semi-circular groove of radius equal to the radius of thecurved portion of said first mentioned groove, the grooves beingarranged to define said circular aperture in said body when saidbridging member is engaged therewith.

1. A fuse box comprising a synthetic resin body supporting fuse holdersadapted to receive and make electrical connection to leads forming partof a cable harness; a groove in the periphery of said body toaccommodate said cable harness; a bridging member and co-operating latchmeans on said bridging member and said body adjacent said groove; saidlatch means releasably retaining said bridging member in engagement withsaid body so that the bridging member bridges said groove to provide asubstantially circular aperture through said body and which aperture isadapted to receive a grommet through which the cable harness passes soas to retain said cable in position relative to said body.
 2. A fuse boxas claimed in claim 1 wherein said co-operating latch means includes apair of flexible tabs projecting from each of a pair of opposite sidesof the bridging member, said tabs being engaged in use in respectiveslots in said body and each being formed with an integral, barbedportion to prevent accidental disengagement of the bridging member fromsaid body in use.
 3. A fuse box as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidgroove in said body is U-shaped, the curved portion of said U-shapedgroove being substantially semi-circular, and wherein said bridgingmember defines a further, substantially semi-circular groove of radiusequal to the radius of the curved portion of said first mentionedgroove, the grooves being arranged to define said circular aperture insaid body when said bridging member is engaged therewith.